Hidden By Moonlight

The sun rose gently over the eastern peaks, casting amber and gold across the rooftops of the Taiyin Sect.

Lin Yuan stood at the outer gate, his flawless white robe fluttering in the morning breeze. At his waist, a jade token marked with glowing script read:

Eastern Ridge – Rogue Cultivator Investigation.

He looked calm on the outside—but beneath the stillness, his heart beat warily.

The Taiyin Sect only accepted female disciples.

And Lin Yuan carried the weight of a secret that, if exposed, could shatter everything.

Footsteps approached—measured, graceful.

Lady Yuexian stopped in front of him and held out a small embroidered pouch. "Inside: three spirit pills, one defensive talisman, and a message stone. Use them wisely." She handed him a long, slender package next. "And this—your flying sword. It turns slowly and needs directional force to maneuver. Don't panic midair. Here's the manual."

Lin Yuan bowed, his voice soft and deliberately feminine. "Thank you, Grandmaster."

She added, "You won't travel alone. Four inner disciples will accompany you. Protect yourself, Lin Yuan… and observe carefully."

---

The Team Arrives

A sharp laugh echoed from behind.

"Well, well. We're bringing the little princess?" sneered Wu Yuerong, tall, fox-eyed, and sharper-tongued than a cursed blade.

Behind her stood the rest of the squad:

Lu Shixian, calm and disciplined, with a silver spear strapped to her back;

Mei Lanyue, silent, eyes hidden behind a sheer veil, her sleeves filled with talismans;

Teng Fei, loud, brash, and stronger than she looked.

"Greetings, senior sisters," Lin Yuan said with a respectful bow.

Wu Yuerong scoffed. "Don't think the Sect Leader's favor means you're special."

Lady Yuexian merely smiled. "She may surprise you."

---

The Journey Begins

The trek through the mountain passes was long—and laced with tension.

Wu Yuerong tested Lin Yuan at every opportunity.

"Still quiet?" she jeered. "Or scared someone might realize you're useless?"

Why am I here? I haven't even completed Qi Gathering. A rogue cultivator using spirit flames is no joke. Am I bait? Or did someone make me bait—on purpose?

He broke the silence. "Senior sisters, will we earn contribution points from this mission?"

Wu Yuerong clicked her tongue. "You really think you're some little genius, don't you?"

The mountain pass echoed with Wu Yuerong's barbs. "Can't keep up, princess? Or afraid we'll discover you're just a pretty face?"

That evening, as the others set up camp, Lin Yuan sat quietly on a stone, fingers clasped.

Lin Yuan kept his breathing even, his gaze scanning the unnatural stillness of the forest. No birdsong. No rustling in the undergrowth. Only the heavy scent of...

Blood.

Actually they roasted a wild boar over open fire.

Lin Yuan inspected the meat, frowning. "Was this boar… pregnant?"

Teng Fei shrugged. "Who cares? It tastes good."

Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed. "This wasn't a normal boar. It's a Mystic Beast's mate. One of them might already be tracking us."

The others exchanged skeptical looks.

"How do you know?" Lu Shixian asked.

"No birds. No monkeys. No insects. This is beast territory," he replied flatly.

He quickly activated the flying sword. "Get ready. We need to take off. Now."

They hesitated.

And then the trees exploded around them.

A Mystic Beast burst from the woods in a blur of muscle and fury.

Lin Yuan's sword shot skyward just in time, carrying them all aloft.

Panting in midair, Wu Yuerong glared. "If only I had a flying sword."

"You could create a flight array," Lin Yuan suggested. "With formation flags and boosters."

She sneered. "As if I have the money or skill for that."

"I can build it for you," Lin Yuan offered. "I'll even cover the cost."

Her face flushed. "I don't need your pity! Why am I… feeling hot?"

Lin Yuan sniffed the wind. His eyes narrowed. "The meat was poisoned… a rare aphrodisiac. I've smelled it before. It was once used on my master."

Wu Yuerong turned pale. "W-We can't go to the Flower Pavilion. No matter what happened I am not going there."

"We won't," Lin Yuan said calmly. "But don't disgrace the Sect Leader's trust. Meditate. Purify. Now."

The others hesitated, but obeyed.

He activated his Sunfire, sending warm golden light through their meridians.

Teng Fei blinked. "It… worked. I feel normal again."

---

A Brush With Death

They relocated to a secluded grove.

Suddenly, three cultivators emerged from the forest—smiling too easily.

"Need help?" one asked sweetly.

Lu Shixian's eyes narrowed. "Who sent you?"

No answer.

The fight broke out fast and violent.

By the end, the girls had subdued the rogues inside a burning formation circle.

Mei Lanyue inspected their loot. "Too many storage bags. They're grave robbers. Or worse."

"They've killed travelers," Lu Shixian said. "They don't deserve mercy."

No one disagreed.

Not even Lin Yuan.

---

By dusk, they reached a ruined village. Houses blackened. Shrines shattered. The air tasted like cinders.

Lu Shixian examined the ground. "The attack happened three nights ago."

Mei Lanyue held up a scorched talisman. "Demonic fire. Heavy Yin residue."

Wu Yuerong pointed at a half-burnt shed. "We'll rest here. Investigate in the morning."

She turned to Lin Yuan. "New girl. Night watch.Can you do it? We may need to fight in the morning when we start investigation.If somethig happend ,call us. "

Lin Yuan agree with a nod.

Midnight.

Lin Yuan sat on the shrine steps, the stars winking overhead.

Bite.

He flinched. Ants? No… something more. A familiar voice echoed in his mind.

Lady Mingyan's voice: "Don't kill them. They're rare. Collect them. You'll need them."

He carefully gathered 53 soul devouring ants, each nearly half an inch long.

Then came scorpions. Venomous moths. Strange beetles.

Lin Yuan called on his Sunfire, forming a glowing barrier of warmth that repelled them all.

He sat in the center, calm—watching.

---

Morning Respect

By dawn, the others emerged.

Wu Yuerong scanned the area. "What happened here?"

"Insect attack," Lin Yuan replied. "I used Sunfire to drive them back."

Mei Lanyue looked surprised. "You... used Sunfire? Successfully?"

Lu Shixian muttered, "I thought those bugs would chew you apart."

Wu Yuerong looked at Lin Yuan long and hard.

"…Beginner's luck," she muttered.

But her tone held less mockery.

And for the first time—

Her gaze held a glint of something else.

Respect.

The attack came without warning.

The air *screamed*—a high-pitched whine like a blade dragged across glass. He barely had time to raise his arm before the *Razorwing Hornet* struck.

It moved faster than thought. A flash of iridescent black, a needle-thin stinger glinting in the dawn light—

*THWIP.*

Pain exploded in his forearm as the hornet buried its stinger deep. Lin Yuan snarled, slapping at it—

—just as *three more* shot from the trees like living daggers.

---

The first sting burned like molten lead. The next three were worse.

Lin Yuan stumbled back, his vision already blurring. The hornets' venom worked *fast*—his muscles locked, his breath coming in ragged gasps as fire spread through his veins.

Wu Yuerong was the first to react. "Ambush!" Her sword flashed, bisecting one hornet mid-air—

—only for its severed abdomen to *keep flying*, stinger still outstretched.

Mei Lanyue's talismans flared. "Don't let them near you—!"

Lin Yuan's Sunfire roared to life—but the venom *fed* on it.

His golden flames darkened, streaked with inky black as the poison spread. His knees hit the ground.

*Four stings.*

A death sentence for anyone else.She collapsed with a whimper, the venom already turning her veins black.

His Sunfire *erupted*, not in defense—but in *rage*.

The remaining hornets *ignited*, their wings burning away as they fell like shooting stars.

But the damage was done. Four stings. *Four doses of Razorwing venom.*

Wu Yuerong paced like a caged wolf. "Who *sent* them? Blackflame Sect? Hive-Queen?"

Mei Lanyue examined the charred remains of a hornet. "No. These are *wild*—but someone *directed* them."

*"They weren't after us,"* she whispered. *"They were after you "*

Lin Yuan's blood ran cold.

Because now, etched into his skin where the stings had struck, four black marks pulsed like a countdown.

### **Next CChaptC- **The Marked Flesh:** The ss- **A Hive's Warning:** The attack wasn't aassassinatiassa